Home Again Home Again...

It truly was one magical week. We went from below zero temps to the mid 70's and sunshine. There was even GREEN grass. I loved it. For the first time ever I found out what it was like to take a middle of the winter vacation down south and I have to say it was pretty grand. My husband, 6 year old son and I stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World. It was a first for all of us. Neither my husband or I had ever been to Florida and although he'd been to Disneyland as a teen I hadn't ever experienced anything like this before. The lodge was GORGEOUS. There were giraffes, greater kudu's, okapi, zebra's, wildebeest, a long horned animal, African crested crane's, and ducks right outside our balcony at any given time. We loved trying the African foods, although the Mickey shaped waffles were a HUGE hit too (they made them wheat free for us!). We spent a day at each of the parks and even a night at Downtown Disney. My favorite ride was the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride at Animal Kingdom. It was a 25 min. truck ride through a savanna area with roaming elephants, antelope, ostriches, okapi, lions, giraffes, hippo's, crocodiles, and more. I really truly loved it.
The details, colors, scenery, all of it made Animal Kingdom just magnificent. I just downloaded 687 pics off my camera and I'd say a good half are from this park. They have African, Asian, Camp, and Dinosaur theme areas. There's a thrilling Dinosaur ride and a super fun 3d bug show (Jasper loved getting sprayed with stink spray- thank goodness it didn't stick to him). But we enjoyed our days at Epcot, and Hollywood Studios too. Each had something, or many things, that made it a special experience for us. I guess that's the magic of it all.

Of the four parks though, Magic Kingdom was maybe the most magical of all. And the fireworks show that ended the day was breathtaking. I didn't have my Rebel with me for that, but did snap a ton of pics with my phone camera and got a couple to share with you. Not only were they spectacular but they played audio clips from Pinocchio's blue fairy and from other films about wishing and wishes. It was sweet. Right in the middle my son turns to me and says he wishes that everything in the world would be free for everyone. I thought that was sweet.

It really did me a ton of good to be somewhere else for just a little while. This morning I'm looking around my home and thinking just how much I really do like it. There's a lot of comfort to home and I think going away for just a week was just what I needed to refresh, relax, and see things fresh again. So I'm going to push publish, help myself to another cup of coffee, and get to work. It was SO much fun chatting with you again and thank you for letting me share this experience. Have a wonderful day!!!